This thread serves to facilitate signups for both players and moderators of
Micro Games
. Micro Games consist of mafia games with nine or fewer players, and are played in the Mayfair Club subforum. Micro Games are moved here once completed.
In order to keep the queue organized, please keep posts relevant to the game queue and refrain from making off-topic posts in this thread. If you have any questions or concerns, you can always contact me via PM or find me on the official Discord server.
Up to two games will be available for signups at a time. Any additional games will wait in the queue in the order of moderator signup. Once a game in signups has either been filled or removed from the queue, the next game in the queue will enter signups.
Games may be removed from the queue if any of the following occur:
The game has been in signups for two weeks without filling
The game has been in signups for one week and has not filled halfway
The game has been in signups for 72 hours and the game moderator has not confirmed their game slot
The game moderator is banned from mafia games when the game goes into signups or while the game is in signups
The game moderator has abandoned an ongoing game while the game is in signups
Other situations on a case by case basis
If a game is removed from the queue, it can be immediately re-entered at the back of the queue.
Queue updates:
Any games currently in signups will be listed in periodic queue update posts, along with the current playerlists. The most up-to-date queue will always be listed in these update posts. The queue in the
By default, there are no requirements for players joining Micro Games. However, game moderators are allowed to specify additional requirements, such as a minimum amount of experience or a minimum number of games played. You can check the game description to confirm whether you are eligible to join the game.
If you're new to mafia, we generally recommend playing a Newbie game first.
Joining games:
Only games that are currently in signups can be joined immediately. To join one of the games currently in signups, you need to post "/in for game name" or "/in for game moderator's name" in this thread. Posting "/in" without specifying a game in some way will be ignored.
If a game is not currently in signups, you cannot sign up for it yet, but you are encouraged to PM the moderator to "pre-in" for the game, which reserves a slot for you when it reaches signups.
Player priority:
Players can directly contact the game moderator before a game goes into signups to request a reserved slot ("pre-in"). Games are allowed to have up to two-thirds of its slots reserved for pre-ins. Once the game goes into signups, anyone who reserved a pre-in slot must post in the queue thread to confirm their slot within 72 hours.
All other player slots are first come, first serve.
Game moderators can reject signups from players for any reason, referred to as "Wisdom of the Mod" (WOTM). Although player blacklists will not be enforced at a listmod level, players may contact a game moderator if they have issues with other players signing up for a game. It is ultimately up to the game moderator whether they will reject signups from other players based on this information.
Hydra accounts:
A
hydra
is an account that two or more people play from but that is treated as one player slot in the game ("one body, multiple heads").
By default, hydras can enter any game entered in the Micro Queue, and must publicly declare themselves as hydras and reveal the identities of their main accounts when signing up for a game. However, game moderators can choose to change the restrictions on hydras for their game, including:
completely prohibiting hydras
setting a maximum number of hydras allowed in the game
setting a maximum number of hydra heads allowed in the game (either per account or collectively)
allowing hydras to keep the identities of their main accounts hidden from the player list and/or game moderator (note that hydras may still be required to reveal their identities at the game moderator's request later on, i.e. if a rule infraction occurs)
A signup from a hydra isn't complete and valid until it complies with the queue rules and game moderator's rules. Please check the game description for any additional requirements listed by the game moderator. Note that you will always be required to declare your account as a hydra and may never join as a hydra masquerading as an individual account, as this violates site rules.
Alt accounts:
Any account other than a player's main account is considered an alternate or
alt
account.
Alts are not required to declare themselves or reveal the identity of their main account when signing up for a game. However, game moderators can choose to prohibit secret alts, or you may be requested to reveal the identity of your main account later on, i.e. if a rule infraction occurs.
To moderate a micro game, you must have been active on site for three months and completed one game as a player.
If the game is closed and isn't normal, you need one moderated game of experience. If your game is open or normal, then you do not need any baseline moderator experience.
If joining the moderation queue could cause you to be moderating multiple games at once, you need at least as many games of moderating experience as the number of simultaneous games you might be moderating. Experience usually comes from the Normal, Mini Theme, or Open Queues, or this queue, by starting off with games that are open or normal.
If you have experience moderating offsite games, you may PM me to ask if I'll consider it equivalent experience. I warn you that I might not, but it doesn't hurt to ask.
Backup/co-moderator requirements:
A backup or co-mod is always required for first-time moderators. A backup or co-mod will also be required for all Micro Games unless it is the only game you are running across all queues or your Micro will be your only commitment that does not have a backup/co-mod. For example, if the only game you are currently modding is a Mini Theme and you have a backup mod for that game, you do not need a backup mod for entering the Micro queue. If you are running a Mini Theme and queued for an Open, and you have a backup mod lined up for both, then you do not need a backup mod for entering the Micro queue. If you are running an Open and in signups for a Large Theme and only have a backup for the Large Theme, then you need a backup mod when entering a game in the Micro queue. Essentially, if you can show that your Micro game would be the only game left without a backup mod if you were to suddenly disappear from the site, then you do not need a backup/co-mod for your Micro game.
Thread access: You must make a moderator private topic in the Private Topics subforum that fully describes your setup and contains the list of roles assigned to players. If you have a backup/co-mod, you should give them access to this and all PTs you make for the game. If you don't have a backup moderator, you must give me access.
Setup requirements:
The game must have nine or fewer players. The game also must be mafia - it must have an uninformed majority that could easily win if they knew the identity of an informed minority, which is composed of two or more players. The "majority" and "minority" can be equal, as in We Need A Fifth. You may also run a closed setup that doesn't fit this definition but leads its players to believe they could be playing a setup that fits this definition (all such setups would be classified as bastard). The exception to these requirements is if you choose to run a three-player setup, which would only require one informed minority player.
Review requirements:
If your game is a Normal, it needs to be reviewed by the Normal Review Group (you can also request that the Normal Review Group devise one for you, and they will!). I'll send you a PM about your review when you sign up to mod.
If your game is open, having it reviewed isn't required, but it's strongly recommended. You can post it here.
If your game is closed and not normal, you must list a reviewer that agreed to the final version of the setup. You can request reviews here. You can also ask me to review your setup.
Queue/game limitations:
There is no limit to the number of Micro games that you can moderate at a time. However, you cannot enter a new game into the queue until any games you have previously queued have entered signups.
Depending on the setup, some Micro Games can qualify to queue under multiple queue categories, in which case the moderator can decide which queue they would like the game to enter. For example, a Micro Open can be run here or in the Open queue, and a Micro Normal can be run here or in the Normal queue.
Queue responsibilities:
Once a game has entered signups, the game moderator has 72 hours to confirm their game slot and list any pre-ins in the queue thread. It is the game moderator's responsibility to make sure that players with pre-in slots confirm them in time.
Game moderators can reject signups from players for any reason, referred to as "Wisdom of the Mod" (WOTM).
Moderation activity expectations:
Moderators should start their game within five days of receiving their playerlist, Mayfair Club access, and game number. If they fail to do so, I will declare the game abandoned. Moderators should update their games at least as often as the prod timer for their game, and if they fail to update it after triple the prod timer for their game, I may have someone else take over moderation for the game (and there will be other penalties if this happens.) You should treat moderating a game as a commitment. Note that backup moderators and co-moderators are an excellent way to avoid these scenarios.
Helpful links
:
Upcoming Game Advertisements - A thread where moderators can post advertisements for their games. Backup Mods Wanted! - A thread where moderators can search for backup/co-moderators. Theme Test Market - A thread in Mafia Discussion where moderators can check interest in a particular theme. Setup Review Thread - A thread in Mafia Discussion where moderators can request reviewers to check their games for balance and playability. Open Setup Review Thread - A thread for posting an open setup for all to review. You can also make a thread in the subforum. Replacement Request Thread - A thread for moderators to advertise for needed replacements. "All" Micro Game Setups - A list of Micro setups. Micro Open Setups - A list of Micro Open setups. Untested Micro Setups - A list of untested Micro setups (balance is not guaranteed). Micro Game Archive - A list of all Micro Games played on the site (under construction).
Changes from the previous Micro Queue Thread (some of these items may have already been in effect, but I have chosen to make them more visible):
More specific conditions under which games may be removed from the queue
By default, hydras are allowed in all games in this queue, are required to declare themselves as hydras, and must reveal the identities of their main accounts. Game moderators can modify these requirements up to a point (hydras must always declare themselves as hydras).
By default, alts are not required to reveal the identities of their main accounts, but game moderators can choose to prohibit secret alts from their games.
Backup mods/co-mods will be required for all Micro Games unless it is the only game you are running across all queues.
Mod PTs are required for all Micro Games.
Moderators are required to give their backup/co-mod access to all game-related PTs. If you do not have one, you must give me access.
Three-player setups (with one "minority" player) are allowed.
There is no limit to the number of Micros you can run simultaneously, as long as any games you have previously entered in this queue have already entered signups.
New change as of June 21, 2021:
In post 277, lilith2013 wrote:I'm making a change to the following section on backup/co-moderator requirements for game moderators:
A backup or co-mod is always required for first-time moderators. A backup or co-mod will also be required for all Micro Games unless it is the only game you are running across all queues.
You no longer need a backup/co-mod if the game you are entering into queue will be the only game you are running that does not have a backup/co-mod. For example, if the only game you are currently modding is a Mini Theme and you have a backup mod for that game, you do not need a backup mod for entering the Micro queue. If you are running a Mini Theme and queued for an Open, and you have a backup mod lined up for both, then you do not need a backup mod for entering the Micro queue. If you are running an Open and in signups for a Large Theme and only have a backup for the Large Theme, then you need a backup mod when entering a game in the Micro queue.
The initial intent of my backup/co-mod requirements was to prevent multiple games from being abandoned without backup mods, but I decided it would be more straightforward to blanket-require backup mods for concurrent commitments. I think it's worth relaxing that requirement to match my original intent more closely - essentially, if you can show that your Micro game would be the only game left without a backup mod if you were to suddenly disappear from the site, then you do not need a backup/co-mod for your Micro game.
Hope that makes sense, let me know if you have any questions. The new rule will apply retroactively to any games already in queue.